Financial Case Management System Project

OPDC has been lacking a solution that not only provides timely payments to the provider community, but a capability to capture comprehensive data on public defense. The FCMS project will replace three core systems and several ancillary tools, equipping OPDC with a robust, integrated platform to support its mission more effectively and efficiently. This initiative is driven in part by the requirements of Senate Bill 337 (SB 337), which mandates that the Agency establishes and enforces standards, provides oversight and supervision, collects specific data, and regularly reports progress and needs to the Legislative Assembly. The Agency’s current systems are antiquated and currently do not meet these requirements. With the implementation of the new FCMS, OPDC will comply with legislative requirements and ensure all eligible Oregonians have proper access to effective counsel. 

The FCMS system will change and improve many of OPDC’s processes. As a result, OPDC employees, external attorneys, and other external providers (like investigators) will likely experience some changes to how they interface with OPDC.

External providers will access FCMS through an external provider portal. At a high level, providers will be expected to use the system for OPDC-related activities such as invoice submission, case-related time entry, reporting, and access to information for assigned cases. Many forms currently submitted through the OPDC website are expected to be replaced by workflows available through the portal.

Providers should not assume that FCMS will replace all systems or tools needed to manage their own operations. FCMS is intended to support OPDC-related workflows and reporting requirements, but individual provider offices may still require separate systems to support their own case management, business operations, records management, and internal workflows. Each provider should evaluate its technology needs based on its own operational requirements.

OPDC is mapping the processes that may change as part of the FCMS project, and we will provide additional information as soon as we can.

Yes. For any processes that are changing, we plan to provide learning support. This support may take the form of trainings, job aides, or other types of documentation that outline the new processes.

FCMS will be implemented in two phases. Go-live for OPDC employees is anticipated in fall 2027, while go-live for external providers is anticipated in winter 2028. These dates are subject to change as implementation progresses, and OPDC will continue to share updates as major project milestones are completed.

Why has the FCMS replacement project taken so long? 

Implementing a large-scale system replacement for a public agency operating under the Executive Branch requires significant planning, coordination, and procurement work. Before issuing the Request for Proposal (RFP), OPDC needed to thoroughly inventory current systems, workflows, and business processes while also identifying future-state operational needs and requirements. Because FCMS will impact many stakeholders, both internal and external, the project requires careful evaluation, compliance with public procurement requirements, and detailed planning to help ensure the selected solution supports the agency’s long-term needs. While this process takes time, the goal is to implement a sustainable, well-planned system that improves operations across the organization.

As part of the FCMS project, we are actively including external providers at key stages to ensure their perspectives are considered throughout the process. In 2024, we conducted an assessment of conditions to gauge the readiness of external providers for this change and to identify concerns, questions, and training needs. We also plan to include external provider input on specific FCMS-related process changes.

If you’d like to volunteer to provide input or serve as a change champion, you can contact our senior IT project manager, Mary Knoblock, at mary.knoblock@opdc.state.or.us.

We will continue to share updates about the FCMS project on this webpage and via OPDC’s newsletters. You can view archived newsletters online and sign up for newsletters here.

If you have any questions about the project, please submit to fcmssupport@opdc.state.or.us.